Howard still Tony Abbott’s top fan

John Howard in Tampa at the Republican Convention on Thursday: ‘Every party, when it changes its position on the Treasury benches . . . looks at things afresh and that’s the right of every opposition leader.’
Photo: Reuters

by
Ben Potter Tampa, Florida and Sophie Morris

John Howard
declares himself
Tony Abbott
’s “biggest fan" and is playing down differences on industrial relations reforms, insisting he does not want to interfere in policy decisions being taken by the Coalition’s present leadership.

Mr Abbott in the past week has appeared to distance himself from Mr Howard after The Australian Financial Review revealed the former prime minister had told a private business gathering that the Coalition should embrace further industrial relations reform.

But speaking from the US Republican convention in Florida, Mr Howard sang Mr Abbott’s praises and supported his approach of bringing labour market laws back to the “sensible centre".

. “I think it’s fair to say I’m about Tony Abbott’s biggest fan on the Australian political scene. I think he’s done a fantastic job."

Earlier in the week, Mr Abbott dismissed Mr Howard’s calls for the Coalition to reintroduce the individual employment contracts that prevailed before its ill-fated WorkChoices legislation which made it easier to fire poorly-performing employees, saying there was “no going back to the past".

“Let’s face it: John Howard is two prime ministers ago, John Howard is three Liberal leaders ago. That was then, this is now," Mr Abbott said.

This was quite a turnaround from the days when Mr Abbott, early in his political career, had boasted of being “the ideological love-child of John Howard and [right-wing Liberal] Bronwyn Bishop".

The Financial Review’s reports of Mr Howard’s unguarded comments to a Westpac forum also prompted his former workplace relations minister,
Kevin Andrews
, architect of the WorkChoices reforms, to advise him to butt out of the current debate.

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“That’s one of the major reasons why Australia is doing better than most countries at the moment," he said. Mr Howard said Mr Abbott had been a formidable Opposition Leader, contributing to the demise of former Labor prime minister
Kevin Rudd
and coming close to unseating Labor at the 2010 election.

“Just understand one thing. The Coalition would not be where it is now were it not for Tony Abbott," Mr Howard said.

“He really, by staring down Kevin Rudd on climate change, panicked the former prime minister, which in turn panicked the former prime minister’s party, which in turn led to the installation of
Julia Gillard
and the near loss after only one term.

“The man responsible for that is Tony Abbott, so I think he’s done a pretty fantastic job."